A concert loudspeaker suspended high above the ground emits 35 W of sound power. A small
microphone with a 1.0 cm2
area is 50 m from the speaker.
a. What is the sound intensity at the position of the microphone?
b. How much sound energy impinges on the microphone each second?
a. To calculate the sound intensity at the position of the microphone, we can use the formula:
Intensity = Power / Area
Given that the power emitted by the loudspeaker is 35 W and the area of the microphone is 1.0 cm^2 (or 0.0001 m^2), we can plug these values into the formula:
Intensity = 35 W / 0.0001 m^2
Intensity = 350000 W/m^2
Therefore, the sound intensity at the position of the microphone is 350000 W/m^2.
b. To calculate the amount of sound energy impinging on the microphone each second, we can use the formula:
Sound energy = Intensity * Area
Given that the intensity is 350000 W/m^2 and the area of the microphone is 0.0001 m^2, we can plug these values into the formula:
Sound energy = 350000 W/m^2 * 0.0001 m^2
Sound energy = 35 W
Therefore, 35 W of sound energy impinges on the microphone each second.